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In this paper, we share the experience of the U.S. National Science Foundation (NSF) National Solar Observatory (NSO) scientists, educators, and public outreach officers in organizing an eclipse viewing party within a stadium at a sports complex on the US/Mexico border in Eagle Pass, TX in collaboration with educators from the Eagle Pass and the Uvalde areas. We describe the reasons we chose Eagle Pass, contacts we established with the local community, preparations for and activities set up during the eclipse viewing party, the eclipse day on April 8, 2024, and lessons learned from organizing our event.
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This content will become publicly available on December 1, 2025
Total Eclipse En Frontera
The Total Eclipse en la Frontera program provided informal and formal science education outreach using Sul Ross State University’s La Frontera Research Initiative (LFRI) mobile program, which serves communities located along the southwest Texas-Mexico border. With assistance from existing community partnerships, the Jay M. Pasachoff Solar Eclipse Mini-Grants Program, and the National Science Foundation Noyce program, our program reached over 20,000 people within a 6-month period. LFRI provided educational experiences to Uvalde CISD (4,041 students), Eagle Pass ISD (14,028 students), San Felipe Del Rio CISD (9,874 students), Southwest Texas Junior College (2,300 students), Sul Ross State University (2,071 students), and surrounding private schools, public libraries, and the general public. Established partnerships included the above institutions, as well as Presidio ISD, Marfa ISD, Alpine ISD, the Science Mill Museum, McDonald’s Observatory, NASA's Marshall Space Flight Center, and the National Solar Observatory. Leveraging a mobile STEM Lab, LFRI provided eclipse-themed makerspace programing along with eclipse-focused educator training to include cultural total eclipse lectures with national experts to the communities along the southwest Texas-Mexico border. Specifically, border communities of Eagle Pass, Del Rio, Uvalde, and the Big Bend Region experienced STEM education outreach throughout the summer of 2023 leading up to the Total Eclipse in April 2024. Program outcomes provide a glimpse on the use of mobile makerspace program might increase STEM identity, self-efficacy, and engagement of isolated communities through a 2-year mentoring program connecting faculty, graduate students, preservice teachers, K12 educators, and community college students.
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- Award ID(s):
- 2050173
- PAR ID:
- 10580464
- Publisher / Repository:
- Bulletin of the American Astronomical Society (BAAS)
- Date Published:
- Journal Name:
- Bulletin American Astronomical Society
- Volume:
- 56
- Issue:
- 9
- ISSN:
- 0002-7537
- Subject(s) / Keyword(s):
- STEM Outreach, STEM mentoring, community science, eclipse education, mobile STEM lab, makerspace
- Format(s):
- Medium: X
- Sponsoring Org:
- National Science Foundation
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